The Living Counterculture

Hello. I came up with the idea of a Living Counterculture program at Blue Bear School of Music. The earliest reference I have is from an email I sent on April 17, 2019. The idea of a living counterculture has been used in a variety of contexts, but as of today, June 12, 2026, there is no evidence that it has been used in the context of the 60s counterculture spawned in San Francisco. I have pitched the idea for my program (below) to a variety of people and places, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, but only now have I found a potential home for the project. Today, in partnership with KEXP, we are submitting a proposal to develop the Doolan Larson building at the corner of Haight & Ashbury. If we are successful, we plan to implement a version of The Living Counterculture program. For now, I'm establishing this website to confirm that I originated the phrase The Living Counterculture in the context of the culture that began, figuratively speaking, at the corner of Haight & Ashbury in the 60s!
Dr. Steven Savage

THE LIVING COUNTERCULTUREA BLUE BEAR SCHOOL OF MUSIC PROGRAM CELEBRATING
THE MUSIC OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SOUNDThe counterculture movement of the Sixties had a significant, lasting influence on the music, fashion, literature, and art of the Western World. It also had a positive effect on awareness of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, and environmental concerns that have been assimilated into mainstream culture with positive results. This is the living counterculture.Nothing represents these countercultural shifts more powerfully than the music of the time; and the music of the San Francisco bands of the Sixties have retained a powerful connection to these cultural effects. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood continues to represent the counterculture’s collective traditions. Shared traditions such as this foster social cohesion, strengthen empathy and reduce isolation.Blue Bear School of Music is a child of the San Francisco counterculture (founded in 1971). Although the music programs at the school now encompass a broad spectrum of musical styles and eras, we retain a strong connection to our heritage in the San Francisco Sound. As a part of KEXP Haight-Ashbury, I propose an active band workshop program that allows people to learn and play music from the San Francisco bands.Possible workshops:A general workshop playing songs from a variety of SF Sixties bands
A workshop that focuses on one of the SF Bands
The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Charlatans, The Ace of Cups etc.
A workshop that recreates a particular album from one of the bands
e.g. Workingman’s Dead
A workshop the recreates a particular set from one of the bands
e.g. a Jefferson Airplane set from the Fillmore Auditorium in 1967

The bulk of my career has been spent as a recording engineer and record producer. You can find at more about me (if you want to) at stevesavage.net